#international-trade

#international-trade

No new major road building projects in England starting before 2030 will be created, National Highways has proposed.The Government-owned company has advised ministers it should focus on completing ongoing and delayed schemes, as well as improving existing roads.Many National Highways major projects are behind schedule and over budget.

The Department for International Trade has made progress towards selling the UK as an investment destination, but needs to co-ordinate better with other authorities, the Government's official auditors have said.The National Audit Office (NAO) found that the department known by its acronym DIT has supported considerably fewer cases of direct investment from abroad, but that the value of these projects has grown in recent years.

The UK will be 15 years late in hitting a Conservative government target of 1tn in annual exports after trade was hit by Brexit difficulties, it has emerged.The government's own projections have revealed that the value of British exports will not hit 1tn until 2035, despite a pledge by David Cameron that the goal would be achieved by 2020.

Rishi Sunak should close the Department for International Trade (DIT), according to the Brexit-backing former Tory minister who first established it in Whitehall.Liam Fox, made the first international trade secretary in 2016, said it was time for a shake up by folding trade into the business department.

The annual international economic forum opening in the Russian city of St. Petersburg on Wednesday has long been the country's premier event for attracting Western investors, and, at first glance, the agenda this year seems to indicate that the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine changed little.Planned panel topics include Russia as a Global Tech Hub and The Arctic: Territory of Investment Opportunities and Vivid Travel, while the word war never appears even if euphemisms crop up repeatedly, such as the evolving circumstances or the military-political crisis in Europe.

Donning a sassy piece of silk lingerie, a male model grooves to the beat and forms a heart shape with his fingers during a livestreaming session on Douyin, one of China's most popular video-sharing platforms.His modeling performance is the latest illustration of the kind of entrepreneurial innovation sometimes needed to bypass China's rigorous internet censorship, a dragnet that can ensnare seemingly innocuous activities in this case retailers selling women's underwear online.

(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

A Northern California man who attempted to enter San Francisco airport customs with eight full or partial animal corpses in his personal baggage was indicted last week for conspiring to violate the Endangered Species Act.Jason Keith Bruce, 49, of Galt, Calif., was also charged with making false statements and smuggling goods into the United States.

FILE - This undated file photo provided by The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shows a vaquita porpoise.Mexico announced in the first week of March 2023, that it is seeking to avoid potential trade sanctions for failing to stop the near-extinction of the vaquita, the world's smallest porpoise and most endangered marine mammal.

PoliticsUnited States of America French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived in the US for his first state visit hosted by Joe Biden.Presenting a united front on Ukraine is at the top of the agenda.French President Emmanuel Macron met Vice President Kamala Harris on Wednesday for a visit to NASA headquarters as he kicked off his state visit to the US.

FILE - A Zimbabwe National Parks official inspects some of the elephant tusks during a tour of ivory stockpiles in Harare, May, 16, 2022.An international conference on trade in endangered species ended Friday, Nov. 25, in Panama, with protections established for over 500 species.(AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, File)PANAMA CITY - An international wildlife conference moved to enact some of the most significant protection for shark species targeted in the fin trade and scores of turtles, lizards and frogs whose numbers are being decimated by the pet trade.

Shark fins are packed into a Hong Kong storefront on Nov. 17, the day dozens of countries voted for better protections for sharks.The city is a global hub for the shark fin trade.(Isaac Lawrence/AFP/Getty Images)Dozens of countries voted this week to regulate a global trade that has killed millions of sharks and threatened numerous species in recent decades - all over a bowl of soup.

Labour is launching a campaign accusing government ministers and officials of spending taxpayer-funded credit cards on luxury travel and hotels, claiming they are using public money like a cash machine.In an attempt to inflict further damage to the Tory party's credentials as sound managers of public finances, Keir Starmer's party is deploying a social media blitz to highlight five-star hotel visits by the likes of Rishi Sunak and new Tory chairman Greg Hands.

Former business secretary and staunch Brexiter Jacob Rees-Mogg will receive about 500,000 in annual dividends from his stake in Somerset Capital Management, the investment fund he co-founded in 2007.However, the prospect of Rees-Mogg collecting an even bigger multimillion-pound windfall appears to be on ice, as the Guardian understands Somerset is no longer holding talks about a potential sale of the firm valued at between 70m and 100m.

China has criticised the British government for sending the trade minister Greg Hands to Taiwan and said the UK must cease sending the wrong signals to pro-independence forces on the self-ruled island that Beijing regards as its territory.Hands began a two-day visit to Taipei on Monday, during which he is scheduled to meet the democracy's president, Tsai Ing-wen, and co-host the 25th annual UK-Taiwan trade talks.

Russia is seeking an official explanation from its ally Serbia about reports that the Balkan country has delivered thousands of rockets to Ukraine for its fight against Russia's invasion.ussian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed "deepest concern" about the reports, which first came from pro-government Russian media last month.

Speaking ahead of his meeting with President Joe Biden on Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron warned that US trade policy could "fragment the West."That might sound alarmist, but he was right.Biden's programs to subsidize clean-energy investment and high-tech manufacturing have much to recommend them - but, executed incautiously, they do pose a threat to international economic cooperation.

In this file photo, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman, Jay Y. Lee, speaks during a news conference at the company's office building in Seoul on May 6, 2020.(Kim Hong-Ji/Reuters)South Korean giant Samsung Electronics appointed former convict and third-generation heir Lee Jae-yong as its executive chairman on Thursday.

Brexit added an average 210 to household food bills in the two years to the end of 2021, burning a 5.8 billion hole in consumers' pockets, new research suggests.The increase was driven by extra checks and requirements on goods  representing an important impediment to trade with the bloc, with much of the cost passed on to consumers, according to the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) at the London School of Economics.

The full impact of Brexit on trade is "yet to be seen", International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch has said.Speaking to MPs, she acknowledged "all change is difficult" but said the UK could benefit from making its own trade deals with other countries.The minister also defended the UK's deal with Australia, against fierce criticism from former Environment Secretary George Eustice.

Kemi Badenoch has conceded that deadlines in negotiations are unhelpful as she faced questions about high-profile criticism of the post-Brexit trade deal with Australia.Appearing before the International Trade Committee, Ms Badenoch was forced to defend UK free trade deals with Australia and New Zealand after stinging criticism from former environment secretary George Eustice earlier this month, who said that the Australian agreement was not actually a very good deal as the UK gave away far too much for far too little in return.

PoliticsUnited States of America 4 minutes ago4 minutes ago French President Emmanuel Macron has arrived to the US for his first state visit hosted by Joe Biden.Presenting a united front on Ukraine is at the top of the agenda.French President Emmanuel Macron is due to meet Vice President Kamala Harris for a visit to NASA headquarters on Wednesday as he kicks off his state visit to the US.

A report has found that Ireland's productivity levels have grown to 40% above Northern Ireland's in the last 20 years.It also revealed that export intensity is an important factor in driving Irish economic productivity.The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) think tank, which produced and published the report in partnership with the Taoiseach's Shared Island Unit, examined trends in productivity across both regions.

Humanity is changing nature at an unprecedented rate.The numbers of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles have decreased by almost 70% since 1970, according to a report by the conservation NGO, World Wildlife Fund (WWF).This mass extinction is caused by the destruction of natural habitats, environmental pollution, agriculture, global warming and the trade of wild animals and plants.

Rishi Sunak has been criticised for reappointing a controversial minister a month after sacking him.Dominic Johnson, who is Jacob Rees-Mogg's former business partner and a key Conservative Party donor, has returned as a minister for international trade.He was first appointed as investment minister by Liz Truss at the beginning of October, and was then handed a life peerage to enable him to carry out the Government role, becoming Lord Johnson of Lainston on October 19.

UK regions need critical powers to ensure cities outside of London, Oxford and Cambridge can receive investment and level up the country, the mayor of the West Midlands has said.During a panel debate at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) annual conference, Andy Street said that regions currently do not have access to the Government's crucial research and development (R&D) money.

Rishi Sunak today hailed a 72m euro (63m) deal with Paris which will see UK officials joining operations in France for the first time to halt unauthorised Channel crossings.The prime minister said the agreement  finalised on Monday morning by home secretary Suella Braverman and her French counterpart Gerald Darmanin  would be a foundation for more co-operation in coming months.

China has lashed out the UK for sending a minister to Taiwan for trade talks, insisting that any official contacts with the self-governing territory must cease.Trade minister Greg Hands is kicking off a two-day visit on Monday with discussions aimed at boosting trade after Brexit and promoting UK expertise in hydrogen and offshore wind.

China has lashed out at the UK for sending trade minister Greg Hands to talks in Taiwan, insisting that official contacts with the self-governing island republic must cease.Mr Hands is kicking off a two-day visit on Monday with discussions aimed at boosting trade and promoting UK expertise in hydrogen and offshore wind.

Liz Truss's trips abroad as foreign secretary and international trade minister saw her make demands resembling a rock star rider, according to a new biography of the ex-prime minister.Labour has questioned expenses claims made on behalf of Ms Truss for her overseas travel following extracts from the book Out of the Blue: the Inside Story of the Unexpected Rise and Rapid Fall of Liz Truss.

Countries must work together to fight online terror and cut terrorists' resources to prevent deadly attacks, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told a United Nations meeting in India.Speaking at the UN Security Council counter-terrorism committee in New Delhi on Saturday, he urged allied states to tackle terror groups' exploitation of technological advances.

Countries must work together to fight online terror and cut terrorists' resources to prevent deadly attacks, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will tell a United Nations meeting in India.Speaking at the UN Security Council counter-terrorism committee in New Delhi on Saturday, he will urge allied states to tackle terror groups' use of technology to recruit and radicalise people and livestream attacks.

A Treasury insider with more than 20 years' experience in the department has been appointed as the new permanent secretary, the Cabinet Office has announced.His appointment will be seen as a U-turn by Liz Truss who had been thought to want to bring in an outsider following the sacking of the previous permanent secretary, Sir Tom Scholar, last month.

She said that if people have problems with Government policy, there is a way of communicating dissent that does not involve rushing to the first TV studio to let everybody know how angry you are.Kemi Badenoch has urged her colleagues to have dissent in a grown-up fashion, instead of rushing to the first TV studio when they have an issue with Government policy.Asked how the party can communicate effectively the growth plan to the country, Ms Badenoch spoke about the need for unity and to get behind the Prime Minister.